Glossary of Culinary Terms

A doneness instruction usually used with pasta, rice, and other grains. From the Italian for “to the tooth,” this phrase indicates food that is fully cooked but still firm when bitten into.

To cook large, tough cuts of meat using indirect, gentle heat from an outdoor fire. Barbecued foods derive their “barbecued” flavor from wood chips or chunks.

To moisten food regularly with a liquid (usually butter or pan drippings) during cooking.

To stir into a froth or foam, usually with a whisk, fork, or electric mixer. See also Whip.

To briefly submerge fruits or vegetables in boiling water to set their color, flavor, and texture. Often followed by immediately transferring the food to an ice bath to halt cooking.

To prebake the crust of a pie or tart under a layer of weighted parchment paper or aluminum foil in order to ensure that it is partially or fully cooked before adding a filling.

To cook ground spices or dried herbs in fat to intensify their flavor.

To heat liquid until large bubbles break the surface at a rapid and constant rate.

To cook food by gently simmering it in a flavorful liquid in a covered pot.

To soak food in a water and salt solution to season and tenderize it before cooking. The solution is also called the brine; at its most basic, it consists of water and salt, though other ingredients may be added to add flavor or aid in browning (such as sugar or pickle juice). See also Marinate.

To remove the backbone from a whole chicken, turkey, or other poultry, in order to flatten the bird for fast, even cooking. Can also refer to slicing a roast or tenderloin almost in half down its length so you can open it up like a book to stuff or season the inside. See also Spatchcocking.

The term used to describe the fact that meat continues to cook even after it has been removed from a heat source.

A style of preparing leafy greens and herbs that entails stacking several leaves, rolling them tightly, and slicing them into thin strips. Often used for basil.

To cut into small pieces. Recipes will frequently call for foods to be chopped fine, medium, or coarse. Fine corresponds to food cut Into ⅛ - to ¼ -inch pieces, medium to ¼ - to ½ -inch pieces, and coarse to ½ - to ¾ -inch pieces.

To beat sugar and a fat—usually softened butter—until the mixture is aerated and becomes fluffy and lighter in color.

To seal and embellish the edge of a pie crust or other pastry. See also Flute.

To cook in hot oil deep enough to fully surround the food.

To use liquid (usually wine or broth) to loosen the brown fond that develops and sticks to a pan during the sautéing or searing process.

To cut into uniform cubes (the size of the dice depends on the recipe).

A mixture of two liquids—such as oil and water—that would not ordinarily stay combined. To create an emulsion, one liquid (often the fat) is broken into very small droplets that are suspended in the other liquid (often water).

A cooking method characterized by enclosing the food in a parchment paper packet. The food steams in its own juices so that the flavors are pure and clean. Although parchment is the traditional choice in this classic French technique, aluminum foil can be used.

To ignite the alcohol vapor above a pan of food in order to create a set of high-temperature reactions for flavor development.

To create a scalloped pattern around the edge of a pie crust or other pastry. See also Crimp.

To mix delicate batters and incorporate fragile ingredients using a gentle under-and-over motion that minimizes deflation.

The browned bits that remain on the bottom of the pan after food has been sautéed or pan-seared.

To coat food with a glossy syrup or paste (frequently sugar-based).

To shred a food into small, uniform pieces using a tool like a box grater or rasp grater.

To cook relatively small, individually sized, and quick-cooking foods such as steaks, chops, and skewers directly over an outdoor fire.

To cook large, tender cuts of meat using indirect, moderate heat from an outdoor fire.

To cut into matchstick-size pieces, usually about 2 inches long and ⅛-inch thick.

To manipulate bread dough to develop gluten and create a strong network of cross-linked proteins.

To toss an ingredient (often fruit) with sugar and leave it to sit to draw out moisture.

The chemical reaction that occurs when proteins and sugars are subjected to a high temperature, leading to browning and the creation of new flavor compounds; named for French chemist Louis Camille Maillard, who first described the phenomenon in the early 1900s.

To let food sit in a seasoned mixture of oil, liquid, herbs, spices, and other flavorings before cooking to increase flavor and improve texture. See also Brine.

To cut food into ⅛-inch pieces or smaller.

Preparing and measuring the ingredients for a dish before you begin to cook; from the French for “everything in its place.”

A paste of milk and bread that is typically used to help foods like meatballs and meatloaf hold their shape and retain moisture.

To remove the outer skin, rind, or layer from a food, usually a piece of fruit or vegetable.

To cook food in hot water or other liquid that is held below the simmering point.

A stage in the rising of dough when a shaped loaf is set out for its final rise and fermentation before baking. The word “proof” can also be used to refer to the process of testing yeast to confirm that it is active.

To grind ingredients to a fine, uniform consistency, often in a food processor or blender.

To partially evaporate liquids to concentrate flavors and thicken consistency.

To cook food in a pan in a hot oven.

To cook food in a small amount of fat over moderately high heat, usually with the goal of browning the food. Traditionally, sautéed food is tossed about by jerking the pan back and forth. Stirring food accomplishes the same thing.

To bring a liquid to the verge of a boil.

To make shallow cuts on the surface of a food in order to maximize surface area, increase marinade penetration, or create a rough texture.

To cook food over high heat, usually with the goal of creating a deeply browned crust. While sautéing involves frequent stirring, seared foods are best left alone so that a crust can develop.

To cook in hot oil deep enough to partially surround the food. Also called pan-frying.

To move a powdered ingredient such as flour through a fine-mesh strainer to aerate and break up clumps.

To heat liquid until small bubbles gently break the surface at a variable and infrequent rate.

To remove the fat that floats to the surface of pan drippings or braising liquids after roasting or braising fatty cuts of beef, pork, or poultry.

To cut into pieces with two flat edges (the thickness of the slices will depend on the recipe).

To cook foods using the steam released from boiling liquid.

To quickly cook thinly cut food in oil over high heat in a wok or skillet.

To cook over gentle heat in a small amount of fat in a covered pot.

To gradually increase the temperature of a sensitive ingredient such as dairy or eggs to prevent it from breaking or curdling once added to a hot soup or sauce.

To cook or brown food by dry heat, and without adding fat, using an oven or skillet.

To quickly stir an ingredient such as egg whites or cream with a whisk or electric mixer in order to aerate and stabilize the ingredient and add volume. See also Beat.

The outer layer of peel on a citrus fruit, which is often removed and used as a flavoring. This does not include the white pith layer under the peel.